2013-12-08 - The Punisher Captured!
As the cold air and breeze makes its way across the city, the lonelier, colder slums of New York's Hell's Kitchen slow to a crawl. There's no foot traffic to speak of, no cars passing by with their high beams on and music blaring, no, for all intents and purposes this area of NYC is dead. As with other area's like this, there are numerous abandoned warehouses that look as if they're not used for anything other than collecting trash and vagrants looking for a place to crash. Truly, this place is where dreams go to die... Sitting inside one of the the shuttered warehouses, with the lights turned down and the low hum of a space heater working its magic in the corner, Frank Castle sits alone before a makeshift table, fiddling with the inner workings of an M4. Spread out across the table before him are metal pieces and parts that makeup the M4 carbine and as of right this second Frank is fiddling with a faulty charging handle. Set to his side is a loaded glock with a laster sight, always ready to be called to work. It hadn't took much for SHIELD to find a picture of the Punisher. They had figured out he was previously thought dead marine Frank Castle. A list of possible safe houses that could belong to the man. It was a short list not that Frank doesn't have more, SHIELD hasn't found those alias or illegal set ups. But one on the list was the Hell's Kitchen safe house. Steve was cold himself but he doesn't say anything as he rides shotgun with Phil Coulson. He checks his earbud. "The team is in place and word from the other team the other two sites are busts." Phil Coulson sits in the driver's seat of the car, looking at the road with a tiny smile on his face. No doubt this is due to the fact that he is on a mission with his hero. He hadn't even gotten lost on the trip here. "All right, sir," he sighs, and turns "Well, hopefully this goes well." Putting the car into park, Phil gets out, his overcoat keeping the cold out and the wind off. Closing the door with his gloved hands, each of which go into pockets. Approaching the door, Phil knocks. Frank hears the knock on one of the far doors of the warehouse and grabs the handgun at his side and casually moves to a small room just off the main room. In this room sits a few television screens with various locations illuminated through night vision. Frank peers at the screen and smirks as it seems this safe house has not lived up to its name. Moving back through the room Frank packs whatever he thinks he'll need for a short trip. This is a short list that includes grenades and more guns and ammo. After a short look around Frank shakes his head and whispers to himself, "Damn..." Turning the lights off Frank makes his way to the rear of the building where he plans on making a quick exit. Cap looks at Phil as he knocks with a raised brow. Cap, oddly enough, isn't use to making legal raids by the book. He then calls out, "Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division! Open up!" Then giving there time to be answer and no comes. "We're coming in!" He then picks up his foot and slams it against the door to send it flying open. Frank would notice they were undercover but the way the moved they were law enforcement or military, but the back exit is covered. Phil soon has a hand on his pistol in his pocket but steps in, seeing the man move towards the rear of the building, "Mr. Castle. I am Agent Coulson." His face bears little emotion, as does his tone, "We are hear to discuss some matters with you." He even gives a nice smile, "This should not take long." The agent does not draw his pistol. The agent nods to Cap, then looks back to Frank, "Please, have a seat." He gestures with his left hand towards the makeshift table and seat. Frank checks a peep hole out the back and shakes his head as a squad has set up in the darkness, waiting for his arrival. Frank then peers back towards the front entrance that's been kicked in and the pair that have entered, which he responds through the darkness with, "I think I'll stand..." Moving forward from the shadows Frank adds, "Go ahead, I'll give you a chance before..." Frank peers down at the gun and waits. Captain America looks at Phil and preps his shield but he stands there quietly. The way he was concern The Punisher was going to leave in cuffs. But Captain America finally says, "Lt.Castle, please sit. Agent Coulson would like to talk to you." Seeing as Frank is not being the most cooperative, the SHIELD agent frowns and continues, "As you can see, there are a few options here. One, we can handle this like civilized human beings. Two, you make this more difficult than it needs to be and you go straight to jail. Three, you make things more difficult and you leave in a body bag. I strongly suggest option one, saves time" His grip tightens on his pistol, not drawing it. Frank peers at the Captain and nods in a solemn manner, taking a seat with a simple, "Yes sir.." Frank looks between the two and places the gun in its holster an his side and says "Go ahead agent, but don't think for a moment that my respect for the Captain extends to you. If you want to leave here peacefully, I suggest you let the Captain do the talking and dictating. A threat from him is more believable than anything you could come up with." Captain America frowns, "Lt. Castle, Listen to what the Agent says. Agent Coulson is a good man and is ex-military himself. You know I do not agree with you but out of respect of your work as a marine and as NYC Police Officer. I'm not trying to arrest you." Yes Franks family too but he doesn't say that yet. While Frank's opinion of Phil's abilities draws little response from the former ranger, Phil nods to his hero, the small grin from the praise is absent when he turns to face Frank, "We are here to only get some information." He pulls his hand from his pocket and stands across the table from Frank, "We have heard there have been some encounters between you and some mobsters in this area, care to enlighten us on the situation?" Frank nods to the Captain and looks at the other man with an indifferent eye as he answers in a questioning voice and a furrowed brow, "Mobsters?" Frank thinks a moment and then the lights come on and he says, "In this AO there are few different families who work. Russian, Irish, and Italian are the main points of interest. I have encountered each in different capacities. The Irish are running guns for drugs, the Russians are trafficking girls, and the Italians are doing a little bit of everything. " Frank shrugs as he adds, "They all get what they deserve, sometimes it comes a little late. Punishment for atrocities committed is the eventual outcome." Frank pauses a moment and then turns to Agent Coulson and asks coldly, "What are you looking for specifically Agent? Give me the bottom line up front..." Steve Rogers crosses his arms, "Russian Mobsters operating in Brooklyn wearing Track suits. I believe you are familiar with them." Phil raises a brow and says, "I want information on this issue, that is all that you need to know." He does not cross his arms, but his tone shows his displeasure, but he does nod at Cap's response, "Those specific mobsters, please tell us about them." "Multiple informants were saying a hit had been placed on an entire apartment building worth of people. Innocent tenants were going to be dealt with at a meeting on the rooftop." Frank looks at both men and says in an annoyed tone, "Instead of going to the meeting, they blew the building, waiting for the tenants to move outside. They were going to put them down in the street." Frank brings his hand up and pulls an imaginary trigger saying, "I was faster." Steve Rogers looks at Phil, "I was there. What he says is truthful. He was there I tried to stop him but became more concerned with getting the innocents out of the collapsing building." He looks at Phil, "He just admitted to killing them. Is that enough for you to place him under arrest?" "I see," Phil says and nods at Cap, "I believe so." He reaches back with his right hand under his coat and says, "Frank Castle, you are under arrest for murder, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law, you are allowed to have an attorney present, should not you be able to afford one, one can be provided for you, do you understand this?" He begins to go around the table towards Frank. As the rights are read, Frank rises from the table and unholsters his gun which he then places down alongside some of the grenades he had clipped to his belt. After a few more moments of undoing needless clips which are promptly dropped to the floor he says rather casually, "Sir, as much as I hate to say it, I won't be going quietly..." Frank then overturns the table towards the oncoming agent and says as he moves on the Captain with an aimed punch, "I've thought of what a fight with you would be like for a long time..." Steve Rogers moves quicker than he should and dances back out of the punch. He recognizes that the Punisher isn't using lethal force and he responds in kind. His shield while often not lethal is not used. It leaves him hampered for a moment. "Captain Castle, I wish I could say the same but I'm sorry. You've lost your way." He moves with his right hand to shoulder his shield. Phil lacks the speed and strength of the supersoldier, so is quickly bowled over by the table. It takes a little bit of time for the SHIELD agent to remove the obstacle from himself and find his feet. Moving to position himself between the front door and Frank, he draws his pistol and says, "Surrender, now." Frank backs around the area that used to be the table and he says, "My way Sir? You lost YOUR way... You were a Soldier... You were a killer and you let these government pukes snip you where it counts." Frank smirks over at the agent and says as his gun is pulled, "You won't and that is why you're weak.." Frank disregards the weak agent and pushes forward towards the Captain, aiming a few body shots and then he attempts to take the iconic hero off his feet. Captain America says, "I was a soldier. But soldiers are not murderers. U.S. Servicemen and women protect their nation abroad from foreign threats. It's they who protect our freedoms." He says changing styles of attacks his hand moves to knock the body blows away with open hands. "I am my own man and what you are doing is wrong. You are taking justice into your own hands judge, jury, and executioner. No man should have that much power it is against the rights. We stand against the darkness we do not become the darkness." His fist and feet flying as he talks. It's a flurry of punches and kicks aimed to work the Punisher's body over, "And what if you kill an innocent by mistake?" Frank falls backwards as his body is worked over and he comes back to throw another haymaker, which is deflected off, causing Frank to lose his balance and fall into a table of empty magazines that were stacked up high.. Frank kneels down and looks up at the Captain and says, "Enemies abroad? Our enemies roam the streets Sir. There's a reason you end up fighting the same punks over and over..." Frank rises and goes to kick Cap's leg at the knee. Steve Rogers takes a studder step stumbling as he takes a kick to the knee. "And you have the right to kill them?" He says as he takes a boxing stance. "I don't remember the U.S. Bill of rights making allowances for an executioner. You have became a murder yourself. And you never said what happens to the innocent you kill by accident." He says moving in for a couple of quick jabs to the Punisher's chin. Phil keeps his pistol pointed at the ground, not willing to point it at the fight. "You can't win, Frank." He scowls and murmurs into his wrist comm. Frank takes the punches to the chin and is stunned for a few moments as he again falls back into a table, this one covered in the parts of the M4 he had taken apart earlier. Frank leans against the rather creaky table and says as a little blood dribbles down his chin from his mouth, "In the second world war tens of thousands of innocents were killed. In Korea the same, in Vietnam the same, in Panama, in Iraq, in Afghanistan. No one batted an eye because for every innocent, many more evil men went to meet their makers... I'm here to do the same Sir. You aim twice and you fire once..." Frank comes back at Cap, looking to tackle the man to the ground. As the Punisher moves to tackle Cap, the Sentinel of Liberty grabs the Punny Bunny; (thank you, Amazing Spider-Man Comics of my youth for that nick name;) and judo attempts to judo throw the Punisher towards a wall using his own strength against him, "And again soldier, I asked who sanctioned this War? Who named you judge, jury, and executioner? No one. You have took it upon yourself to become what you've set out to stop. You take away another man's certain unalienable rights. The right to life. And if your on a war against killers... and you say I am a killer, why haven't you tried to kill me?" Frank goes against the wall hard as Cap's tactics are as sound as ever. Frank is bleeding from his nose rather profusely as he places a hand against the wall and leans forward in obvious pain. He doesn't turn around as he says in a garbled whisper over only the breeze outside and humming space heart nearby, "You are the best example of what it means, what is has meant to be an American... Death cannot kill what never dies Sir..." Frank kneels down at that and leans his head against the wall, blood from his nose and mouth pouring down his chest. There's nothing else for The Punisher to say... As if on cue with the Punisher no longer awake, SHIELD agents bust down the back door. Phil sighs as the Punisher is thrown into the wall. "Get him some medical attention, do not leave him unguarded and keep all weapons out of his reach. He is to be taken to the helicarrier." The adrenaline is still going through him so he is not in too much pain, yet. "Sir, are you all right?" He asks Cap. Steve Rogers looks at the Punisher and then back to Phil, "Please, Phil, don't call me that. Call me Cap, Steve, Rogers but not that." He looks to the Punisher, "I am no more the living embodiment of the United States than you are the embodiment of Death. We're both men. That tried to do our best, you just lost your way." He looks back to Coulson, "He should be standing with us. Are you okay?" Frank is stood up, handcuffed tightly and led out into the cold dark night. He's bloodied and beaten but even so he manages to grumble something simple into the cool air, "Just a man..." Phil nods, saddened by being chastised by his hero, "I'll be all rigtht, si... Cap." He nods as looks as the Punisher is taken away, "We do what we must." His voice has returned to its usual, dutiful, blandness. "But each day gives us new problems."